A group of alumni at CalArts are working to make the school’s tuition more affordable. “The aptitude to be a great artist comes from all over the world, from every income bracket, from every gender identity, from every racial identity, and from different countries,” said Ravi S. Rajan, the school’s president. “But I know there are students who don’t come to CalArts because they cannot afford it.” (more…)
A large-scale portrait thought to be of the son of Louis XIV has been revealed to be of a lord mayor of London. “Of all the periods of art history this is the one people find the most difficult,” says Tabitha Barber, curator of British art 1550-1750 at Tate Britain. “Mainly because there aren’t many British names to latch on to. So I think there is a great deal to be discovered about this period, still. I’ve been working on this period for goodness knows how many decades and I’m still being surprised.” (more…)
Lisson Gallery now represents the work of Joanna Pousette-Dart, the Art News reports. Poussette-Dart’s first show with the gallery will open at the end of February. (more…)
David Hockney, The Splash (1966), via Sotheby’s
As the first batch of major art fairs gets underway in North America, the secondary market turns its attention to Frieze London this week, as the first test of its health gets underway in the British capital. Kicking off two weeks of auctions at the major auction houses, there should be ample chance for bidders to show just how confident they are on the current state of Britain, its place in the European art market, and how Brexit might have changed those forecasts. With Impressionist and Modern Sales scheduled for this week, and a trio of Contemporary and 20th Century Sales next, the month of February should be an intriguing bellwether for the coming months, and perhaps for 2020 more broadly.
Ed Ruscha, God Knows Where (2014), via Phillips
The Guardian has a piece this week on the studio of conservators Hans Thompson and Maxwell Malden, and their practice working with both historical and contemporary art works. “We’d always worked together on freelance jobs,” Malden says. “We knew we’d work together at some point. We just didn’t think it would happen quite as quickly.” (more…)
Collector Steven Tananbaum and Larry Gagosian have reached a settlement in a suit over Jeff Koons works that the collector claimed he purchased and never received. “Mr. Tananbaum is a passionate collector, and we look forward to our continuing relationship,” Gagosian gallery and Koons said in a joint statement. (more…)
Erwin Wurm, Urinal (2011/2019), via Lehmann Maupin
Currently on view at Lehmann Maupin in New York, artist Erwin Wurm brings forward a new body of work that marks an expansion and elaboration on his already precise and peculiar style of sculpture. Titled Yes Biological, the show utilized biological effects and elements to create a new series that pushes the boundaries of sculpture ever further. (more…)
Collector George Way’s impressive holdings of British and Dutch art will go on view at the New York State Museum and the Van Wagenen House after the collector’s passing last June. Way was planning a number of exhibition projects during the time of his death. (more…)
A 19-year-old man jumped to his death on Saturday from the Vessel installation in Hudson Yards Park, the New York Times reports. “Our deepest sympathies are with the family of the person who lost their life last evening. We have no further comment at this time,” says Kathleen Corless, a spokeswoman for Hudson Yards. (more…)
Collector Andre Sakhai is suing dealer Inigo Philbrick over a Wade Guyton work he had agreed to buy, but which he claims the dealer sold to another party without his knowledge. “Since the time that the fraud was revealed several months ago, we are seeing more victims coming forward to claim what is rightfully theirs,” says Judd Grossman, a lawyer representing Sakhai. (more…)
Jodie Foster will direct a film about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from The Louvre. The thief, an Italian criminal named Vincenzo Perugia, hid inside the Louvre disguised as an employee until nightfall, then walked out of the museum with the work. (more…)
LACMA has received a $50 million gift towards building its new campus, pledged by the W.M. Keck Foundation. “It’s thrilling. I am really grateful to the Keck Foundation,” LACMA Director Michael Govan said of the organization. “It’s really exciting because it’s about bringing new people into philanthropy for culture.” (more…)
The Hong Kong Art Gallery Association has released a statement expressing its support for the region and for whatever decisions the Art Basel Hong Kong fair makes regarding its upcoming edition. “Let us assure you that the fair representatives have been in constant consultation with many of our gallery members as well as regional art collectors regarding the status of the city as it navigates one of the most tumultuous periods in its history,” it reads. “They have been sensitive and considered in their understanding of Hong Kong and its unique positioning.” (more…)
A daring smash and grab theft in Stockholm saw thieves make off with a set of sculptures by Salvador Dali. “They were worth 200,000 to 500,000 crowns (£16,000 to £40,000) each. So it’s quite a lot of money. It’s terrible,” the gallery owner, Peder Enstrom, said. (more…)
Jamal Penjweny, Saddam is Here (2010), via MoMA
Military engagement in Iraq over the last 30 years has had a unprecedented impact on contemporary culture and society, with American intervention in the Gulf and Iraq Wars opening a debate on American values and beliefs, in turn influencing the work of artists around the world. Exploring this concept MoMA PS1 presents Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991-2011, a large-scale group exhibition analyzing the legacy of the U.S. military presence in the region. The exhibition spans four floors, including more than 250 works featuring over 80 artists and collectives, including thirty-six Iraqis and Kuwaitis.
The Van Gogh Museum has made a major acquisition of a pastel work by Edgar Degas, the first of its kind to enter the Dutch national collection. “The Van Gogh Museum has long cherished the wish to add a top-ranking Degas nude to its collection, preferably one from the period in which Van Gogh discovered the French artist’s work,” reads a museum statement. “For that reason, Woman Bathing will remain on permanent display following its unveiling today.” (more…)
Noah Davis, Man with Alien and Shotgun (2008), all images via Art Observed
In the all-too-short run of his life as both an artist and organizer, Noah Davis was a larger than life energy. He was a tireless advocate for black arts in Los Angeles, and a relentless energetic painter whose lush figurative style tied together signifiers and concepts from across the expanse of modern painting. As curator and organizer at the Underground Museum, a black-owned-and-operated art space dedicated to the exhibition of museum-quality art in a culturally underserved African American and Latinx neighborhood, he was a central figure in advocating and advancing the work of his peers and predecessors, creating historical dialogues on the back of his own vision. This energy serves as the underlying power of his current exhibition at David Zwirner in New York, where the late artist’s work is succinctly summarized and celebrated.
Noah Davis, 1975 (8) (2013)
The Tate is stoking controversy in London this week after a job posting on its site for “head of coffee” was noted to have higher pay than its curators. “All Tate’s departments have a variety of roles with different responsibilities and salaries, including curatorial, and a more accurate comparison would be a curatorial team leader,” the museum responded. “We value all our staff and strive to pay them appropriately for their work at Tate.” (more…)
Cecilie Hollberg will return to her post as director of the Galleria dell’Accademia. The move comes after Alberto Bonisoli, the right-wing Italian culture minister who tried to take control of the museum and merge it with the Uffizi was replaced by Dario Franceschini. “[Bonisoli] did not explain to me the reason for wanting to remove autonomy from the Academy by merging it with the Uffizi,” Hollberg said in an interview last year. “And nobody in the ministry was able to give me an explanation on this counter-reform.” She claimed that her German nationality may have led to the change in her contract, and she added, “I am convinced that culture cannot be exploited by politics.” (more…)
W Magazine takes a tour of the home of soon-to-be Serpentine head Bettina Korek, as she prepares for the upcoming fair and shows off her art collection. “She brings worlds together, and has connected the art scene to music, film, architecture, and literature,” Hans Ulrich Obrist says of her work. “That’s very Serpentine.” (more…)
The Beijing Triennial has been postponed over fears of the coronavirus, Art News reports. “To reduce mass gathering amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, CAFA Art Museum (CAFAM) will postpone the CAFAM Techne Triennial 2020 and has suspended its preparations for the exhibition,” says CAFA director Zhang Zikang. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change, and hope that you understand the unexpected and complex situation we are facing.” (more…)
Following the outbreaks of corona, Hong Kong has shuttered its public art institutions indefinitely, a move that creates even more challenges for Art Basel’s upcoming fair in the city. “We are closely monitoring the developments and recommendations issued by the World Health Organization and national governments, as well as consulting directly with relevant experts. We will provide updates on the implications for our Hong Kong show as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the fair said. (more…)
A set of banners designed by Alexander Calder and thought destroyed have been discovered in Philadelphia. “We are honored to be a part of the ongoing story of these beautiful works by Alexander Calder, which were created as public art and which will continue their life as such at Parkway Central,” says Siobhan A. Reardon, president and director of the Free Library, where the works will go on view.
Hanne Darboven, Erdkunde I, II, III (1986), via Sprüth Magers
Currently on view at Sprüth Magers in Berlin, the gallery presents a selection of works by Hanne Darboven, the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work at the Berlin gallery. Compiling her works Erdkunde I, II, III (Geography I, II, III) (1986) and (Süd-) Koreanischer Kalender / (South) Korean Calendar (1991), the exhibition marks the beginning of the gallery’s worldwide representation of the Darboven Estate. (more…)